1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector with a retainer for locking one or more terminal fittings.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-137474 discloses a connector with a housing that has opposite front and rear ends. Cavities extend through the housing from the rear end to the front end, and terminal fittings are inserted into cavities from behind. The terminal fittings are held at proper insertion positions by abutting front ends of the terminal fittings against a wall at the front end of the cavities. A retainer is mounted sideways in a retainer accommodating space in the housing and is brought into engagement with the terminal fittings from behind to hold the terminal fittings in the cavities.
A small clearance is defined between the outer surfaces of the retainer and the inner surfaces of the retainer accommodating space to ensure smooth mounting of the retainer. Since the retainer is mounted sideways into the housing, this clearance is defined around the front, rear, upper and bottom surfaces of the retainer. Thus, the retainer shakes slightly with respect to the housing in forward and backward directions. If the retainer is displaced backward, the terminal fittings can move forward and backward by a distance between the front-limit positions defined by the front wall of the housing and the locked positions defined by the retainer. A problem exists in that the positions of the respective terminal fittings vary individually along forward and backward directions.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to prevent terminal fittings from making loose movements in inserting and withdrawing directions with respect to a retainer.
The invention relates to a connector with a housing, at least one terminal fitting inserted into the housing from an insertion side and a retainer to be assembled with the housing. The retainer can engage the terminal fitting to prevent a properly inserted terminal fitting from coming out.
The retainer has an insertion stop for holding the terminal fitting at its insertion-limit position by contacting the terminal fitting from a side opposed to the terminal insertion side. The terminal fitting also has a securing portion for securing the terminal fitting from the terminal insertion side. A distance along between the insertion-stop and the securing portion does not vary even if the retainer shakes with respect to the housing. Thus, the terminal fitting will not move loosely in the inserting and withdrawing directions with respect to the retainer.
The terminal fitting preferably is inserted into the housing from behind, and the insertion-stop preferably is a front-stop that the terminal fitting contacts from behind.
The retainer may be formed integrally with the front-stop for holding the terminal fitting at its front-limit position by contacting the terminal fitting from the front and/or integrally with the securing portion for securing the terminal fitting by contacting the terminal fitting from behind. A distance along forward and backward directions between the front-stop and the securing portion does not vary even if the retainer shakes with respect to the housing. This prevents the terminal fitting from making loose movements in its inserting and withdrawing directions with respect to the retainer.
The retainer preferably is assembled with the housing, and is movable between a first position where the securing portion is retracted from an insertion path for the terminal fitting and a second position where the securing portion engages the terminal fitting from the terminal insertion side.
The insertion-stop may arranged such that the terminal fitting can contact the insertion-stop regardless of where the retainer is located between the first and second positions.
The insertion-stop preferably has a substantially flat surface substantially parallel with moving directions of the retainer between the first position and the second position.
The front-stop and the terminal fitting are in sliding contact when the retainer is moved from the first position to the second position. Thus, the front-stop and the terminal fitting do not catch one another as the retainer is moved.
Preferably, the securing portion and/or an engaging portion of the terminal fitting with which the securing portion is engaged have a slanted guide surface that extends oblique to the moving directions of the retainer between the first position and the second position.
The terminal fitting may be displaced back from a position where it contacts the front-stop. However, the slanted guide surface pushes the terminal fitting forward to the specified front-limit position and in contact with the front-stop as the retainer is moved.
The retainer preferably is in sliding contact with the housing and/or the terminal fittings when the retainer is moved between the first and second positions.
The housing preferably is formed inside with one or more locks for locking the terminal fittings in the housing. Additionally, the retainer preferably has one or more deformation preventing portions that engage the corresponding locks when the retainer is at the second position.
The deformation preventing portions and/or the locks preferably are formed with slanted guides that extend oblique to resiliently deforming directions of the locks and moving directions of the retainer between the first position and the second position.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings. It should be understood that even though embodiments are separately described, single features thereof may be combined to additional embodiments.